To Mask, or not to Mask?

It started off as a joke in my 6th-grade class, profusely using hand sanitizer, wearing surgical masks, and fake coughing. At the time, we were told we would return in a couple of weeks. Of course, no one took it seriously and thought of it as a 2-week break from school. We were all so clueless about what the future would hold. It’s been almost two years since this catastrophe began, and we’re starting to see the light at the tunnel, or are we? March 21 will mark the day the Covid mask mandate will be lifted for Washington state. However, Edmonds School District has not made a final decision about masking at school. Do you like wearing masks? Or do you want them gone? I put out a survey to ask our fellow Bulldogs what they thought. 

A Pro

A personal pro of not wearing masks to school. First of all, it would be a lot cleaner! I know that when I finish health class, my mask is sweaty and gross. Then it just continues to get worse for the rest of the day. You could bring two masks to school and switch masks in between passing periods or lunch, but that can be a waste of masks and it would cost more money to buy more masks more often. Of course, some kids don’t wear disposable masks to school but wear cloth masks. Through spit and sweat and wearing a cloth around your mouth for a prolonged time, it makes them unsanitary and then you have to wash them more often. It seems impractical to wear masks if we don’t have to.

A Con

On the other hand, a personal con of mine is Covid. Covid-19 isn’t over yet, and I don’t think that going back to normal is going to help our cause. During the course of this semester, I’ve seen people cough and sneeze and be unsanitary. I know doesn’t mean everyone who coughs has Covid, but it’s still bacteria that can infect other people and get them sick. Since we’ve resumed all kids going back to BTMS instead of hybrid, being socially distance is pretty much non-existent. We can continue to wear a covering over our noses and mouths so that we can stop the spread just a little bit. But, the question, “Why would they lift Washington’s mask mandate if it wasn’t safe?” arises. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Even though the cases have gone down, it’s still out there. I get it, we don’t HAVE to wear masks, but does that mean we should resume going back to normal?

What Students Think

The Bulldog Brief put out a survey asking students their opinions. Students like Kiki Maggitt don’t think that BTM should lift the mandate. “I am not against it, I just would not personally take mine off because we are still in the middle of a pandemic and people are still sick. A lot of people have family members prone to being sick so I would not risk them or myself and my family” wrote Kiki. I totally agree with her. Other students like Madisyn Black are ready for the mandate to be lifted. “I don’t see a big problem with it. masks have been required since 2019 and I feel it would be nice to have a couple days (or how ever long) without masks.”

When asked if students would take their mask on the first day the mandate is lifted in school, results were also mixed. Jade Lewis isn’t sure she will go maskless yet. “I don’t like getting in trouble for drinking water, but I do enjoy my face not being seen by others.” 

Getting to see all the responses and learning about what our fellow peers think about having to wear a mask at school is very interesting. Personally, I would continue to wear my mask just because I have other family members that I don’t want to put in harm’s way, but if the mask mandate was lifted and students weren’t getting sick and it was going well, I will probably be ready to lose my mask.

We’ve been debating wearing masks for the past two years. I value protecting lives, protecting people, and protecting myself. Hopefully, this will all end soon but we still have a long way to go. Where do you stand? Do you want to continue wearing masks to school or do you just wanna ditch it all entirely?

If you would like to see what others said about shedding masks, click here to see the comments of those that gave permission to share!